Rev. Jaschko passes at age 97, remembered for charitable works

Rev. Jaschko was at the Cardinal Tien Hospital receiving treatment for a lung infection since March 9th. In accordance with his wishes, his organs were donated to the Fu Ren Catholic University's College of Medicine.

Born Aug. 18, 1911 in Hungary, Rev. Jaschko embarked on his missionary trip to China at the age of 25, where he first learned Mandarin.

By 1955, after being forced to leave China, Rev. Jaschko arrived in Taiwan via Hong Kong, where he started preaching his faith in Chiayi.

He set up civilian clinics in coastal areas of Chiayi, and the "Catholic Hospital for the Poor" at Lucao Village. Rev. Jaschko also assisted in the building of nurseries and nursing schools in towns and villages.

By 1974, Rev. Jaschko had left Chiayi for Hsinchu, and upon seeing several mentally retarded children wandering the streets, he became determined to make improvements in the area of special education and as a result, the St. Joseph's Center for Special Education in Hsinchu City was built the next year.

In 1983, Rev. Jaschko set up the Catholic Hua Kuang Social Welfare Foundation in Guansi, and employed experts to teach and equip disabled children with specialized occupational training.

Over the 50-plus years that he was in Taiwan, Rev. Jaschko positively affected the lives of over 1,000 disabled children. He was made a permanent Taiwanese resident by the government in 2002.

"The Reverend always emphasized that you can do good even with just NT$1," said Wu Fu-mei, dean of the Catholic Hua Kuang Social Welfare Foundation. She also said that Rev. Jaschko was never discouraged by a lack of resources, but always concentrated on his goal of providing an eternal home for the kids through the foundation.

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